The lights are on
Today, the first issue of the God of War comic came out. I've been curious about it ever since it was announced; as a big fan of the series, I'm interested in the story behind Kratos and his fury. So, naturally, I decided to read the comic to find out more about my favorite Spartan. Guh... what a huge mistake. Even for the hardcore God of War devotee, this tale offers nothing of value. I don't say this out of some kind of inherent dislike for expanded content; I've read (and enjoyed!) both Mass Effect novels, but this God of War comic is really rough going. Even with an established writer like Marv Wolfman at the helm, the main problem is that the comic doesn't satisfy any of its audiences. As a God of War fan, I didn't think the story made much sense, and it doesn't contribute to the overall lore of the universe; it just seems to be setting Kratos up for another fetch-quest. As an occasional comic-reader, the writing seems exceptionally low quality to me, with descriptions and dialogue that read more like parodies of the style. The stuff that sounded the coolest – how the comic would flesh out Kratos' childhood – also falls flat. Kratos as a kid is basically just an excuse to explain how Sparta is all hardcore, and they kill the weak kids, etc. You know, stuff that everyone learned (if they didn't know already) when 300 came out. The art is kind of neat – it's stylish, if nothing else, though the shadowy panels leave you looking at silhouettes more often than the cool, detailed art that has defined God of War for years.
If you have a choice between reading this comic and doing something else, you should do something else...like play God of War III again. Anyway, here's the full cover image, so you'll know what to avoid the next time you pick up your comics:
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Just curious, did you read the Mass Effect comic series? Issue #4 (of 4) is out next week. I thought the first 3 have been pretty good. Just wondering.
I don't plan on buying the God of War comic anyway. Nice to know I'm not missing anything.
I read the first issue of the Mass Effect comic. I might have kept going on it, but their timing was so bad. I would have read all four if they'd hit before the game came out, but now that I've played it and seen where Liara ends up, I just lost interest in the story.
Yeah, I haven't gotten to play ME2 yet and I have avoided most anything resembling a spoiler. I have an idea what happens though, but I have enjoyed the comics.
Close call. Good thing you wrote this Joe.
Even though it's a little flat, it is just the first issue. Maybe it will get better.
I never planned on reading it anyway. But at least you made some reasons for me to justify my choice.
Hmmm , disappointing . Thanks for the tip Joe .
In my opinion, the art of landscapes, creatures, and fighting is central with God of War, and although the story is interesting with Greek Mythology, Kratos never really had a reason to become supernatural until Ares.
Well that suks. I'll probly give it a look if only to be an informed member of its legion of haters. Always a big help tearing something down if you have intimate knowledge of it...*cough* Twilight *cough*
Well that sucks, I was hoping for something good for that, but I guess not.
I also read the Dante's Inferno comic. Follows the video game to a T but it still didn't impress me.
Big disappointment. I might have gotten it, because i'm a huge fan. I don't even like comics that much but if it was any good I still would run out and buy it. But sadly, that isn't the case :(
I picked up the comic yesterday, and I couldn't disagree more with Joe on this one. The dialogue in the comic is pretty poor (but I always seem to find that to be the case anyway), but the art style is really neat (to my eye anyway). Also, seeing as how the this is just part 1, I'll give the story a pass on fleshing out Kratos' childhood, perhaps there may be more flashbacks in the next issue?
I'd say pick it up if you're a hardcore GoW fan, it may not be to the level of stuff like The Killing Joke, but it's pretty good for what it is.
I have one major issue with any sort of video-game-related-media that is supposed to 'bridge the gap between installments' or 'expand the lore.' Why is it that whenever a game is announced, and a tie-in comic is then announced with it, the comic either doesn't start until the game is out, or doesn't end before the game is out? For example: Halo: Uprising was supposed to bridge the gap in the story between Halo 2 and Halo 3. It was originally printed in October 2007, when Halo 3 was released September 2007. Why start a series of comics that is supposed to tell the reader what happened BEFORE the next game, AFTER the game is out. Give players/readers the chance to understand the story BEFORE THEY PLAY IT!!! Mass Effect: Redemption did the same exact thing!
I totally agree with Linkz1. Maybe next issue will show a better story.. who knows?
and i like the art!
Looking on Wildstorm website i also get a preview of a page from a future issue:
wildstorm.blog.dccomics.com/.../gow2pag15lowres16.jpg
looks even more hot then the first issue to me, so this makes me well hope for the future!
I still have the GoW collection sitting on my shelf. I'll get to it once I'm finished with Final Fantasy 13 and Battlefield Bad Company
I was really hoping it would be good and expand on the story of Kratos. I'll wait to see if it gets better.
Hmm, this is a shame.
Whats next a God of War novel, quarterly magazine, or webisode?